Attracting Top Talent To Small or Regional Agribusinesses.

With regional centres bearing the brunt of some of Australia’s largest population declines in recent years, how can agribusinesses outside the big smoke attract top talent? Nearly two thirds of Australia’s population resides in one of our greater capital cities, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics*. While the country’s population as a whole is…

With regional centres bearing the brunt of some of Australia’s largest population declines in recent years, how can agribusinesses outside the big smoke attract top talent?

Nearly two thirds of Australia’s population resides in one of our greater capital cities, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics*. While the country’s population as a whole is growing, numbers in many regional areas are declining. It means attracting and retaining staff — particularly in remote areas — can be a substantial challenge.

“There are many businesses located in small towns in the central west (of NSW) or the outer west of the state, where there are not many facilities and it may be necessary to drive a long way to town or school,” says Agricultural Appointment’s Sales and Marketing Director, Brett Price.“There are a lot of perceived negatives associated with going to those regional centres,” he says.

“As recruiters, it is a real challenge — if someone wants a skilled farm manager in an isolated regional area, they must compete with businesses in bigger regional cities.”

Price says agribusinesses need to find innovative ways to overcome these challenges, as the Melbourne-based duck meat business, Luv-a-Duck, did in 2010.

The company, which controls about 40% of the duck meat market in Australia, sells approximately 80,000 ducks per week. It considered closing of one of its regional processing plants in Victoria five years ago, due to staff shortages. The plant, in the town of Nhill (about half way between Melbourne and Adelaide) was a major local employer. With a population of just 2,200, closing the operation would have been a blow to the community.

But, by thinking outside the box, Luv-a-Duck manager, John Millington, attracted workers and kept the business running. Millington contacted the Adult Migrant English Service and asked them if they knew of any refugees who’d be  willing to  relocate for work. As a result, a group of Karen refugees from Myanmar, who had been living in the outer Melbourne suburb of Werribee, visited the Luv-a-duck plant and four were hired.

Within two years Nhill had 100 Karen residents living in town.“Initially, we took on four workers at Luv-a-Duck and we made sure they were good representatives of their community. Then they asked: ‘Can we bring another friend?’ It went on from there,” says Millington. This achievement didn’t slip past the government. Luv-a-Duck was awarded the 2013 Migration and Settlement Award, which acknowledged its work in training and employing Karen refugees. Through engagement with the Nhill community, Adult Migrant English Service and local service providers, they ensured the new workers were connected with their neighbours and settled in to a welcoming environment.

“They are part of our community’s history now. It’s about us accepting other people. They are not a burden, they are a blessing,” says Millington.

Luv-a-Duck remains the major employer in Nhill.

*http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/3218.0~2012-13~Main+Features~Main+Features?OpenDocument

The Latest Updates

03.18.2024

Employee retention matters. Organisational issues such as training time and investment, lost knowledge, mourning, insecure co-workers and a costly candidate search aside; failing to retain a key employee is costly. Various estimates suggest that losing a middle manager costs an organisation up to 100 percent of their salary. The loss of a senior executive is…

AI, An Essential Future Tool in Recruitment and Selection
03.18.2024

It is widely acknowledged that finding and hiring superior talent is a major source of competitive advantage for organisations, hence keeping abreast of the tools involved in the hiring process is, by itself, a source of competitive advantage. If we reflect on changes to hiring over the last 30 years, a revolution has taken place….

02.20.2024

Welcome aboard! The first few days and weeks in a new role can set the tone for an individual’s entire journey within an organisation. Hence, it is paramount to make these initial stages count. Let’s explore why timing matters and how to optimise it for the best onboarding experience. Why Timing Matters First Impressions Are…

What’s new?

Top Ten Tips to Retain Your Employees: Understanding the Importance

Employee retention matters. Organisational issues such as training time and investment, lost knowledge, mourning, insecure co-workers and a costly candidate search aside; failing to retain a key employee is costly. Various estimates suggest that losing a middle manager costs an organisation up to 100 percent of their salary. The loss of a senior executive is…

AI, An Essential Future Tool in Recruitment and Selection
AI, An Essential Future Tool in Recruitment and Selection.

It is widely acknowledged that finding and hiring superior talent is a major source of competitive advantage for organisations, hence keeping abreast of the tools involved in the hiring process is, by itself, a source of competitive advantage. If we reflect on changes to hiring over the last 30 years, a revolution has taken place….

Mastering the Art of Onboarding: Creating an Impactful Introduction for New Team Members.

Welcome aboard! The first few days and weeks in a new role can set the tone for an individual’s entire journey within an organisation. Hence, it is paramount to make these initial stages count. Let’s explore why timing matters and how to optimise it for the best onboarding experience. Why Timing Matters First Impressions Are…

Skills Based Hiring. A Step Towards Solving Talent Shortages in 2024?

In addressing talent shortages across various industries, employers’ traditional approach of hiring based on qualifications and years of experience is proving inadequate. A shift towards skills-based hiring is gaining momentum, offering a promising solution. This practice involves a reassessment of the job requirements and determining instead the underlying skills that are required. It may also…

Year in Review

Another year is quickly coming to a close… the first half of 2023 saw a firm demand for skilled people in the agriculture and food sectors. Despite the scarcity of talent, we successfully filled  a record number of jobs in the first half of the year.  The mid-year forecast of a return of El Nino and…

How Filling Empty Seats in Your Business Can Lead to Success

In today’s competitive market, it’s more important than ever to have a talented and engaged workforce. But when key roles are left unfilled, it can have a negative impact on your bottom line. Here are just a few of the ways that empty seats can impact your business: Inhibited growth: When you don’t have the…

Talent Market in Ag
Job Ads down, Applications up: Talent Market in Australia’s Ag industry remains competitive

The latest SEEK employment trends data for the Australian agriculture sector, shows that job ads have decreased by 9.6% across all categories except Conservation, Parks and Wildlife, compared to last year. However, applications are up, compared to the five-year average. 78% of candidates are currently actively looking or monitoring the market, the highest level in…

Competitive Positioning in a Candidate-Poor Talent Market

In an industry such as agribusiness, it is essential that commercial companies adapt their hiring processes to source top talent to drive their business growth. One way of achieving this is to tap into a broader talent pool and in a candidate-poor talent market, this is the key to competitive positioning. We recently conducted a national…

The State of Women’s Careers in the Agricultural Workforce

As we celebrated International Day of Rural Women on the weekend, let’s revisit an article published by Margaret Alston, Professor of Social Work, University of Newcastle about women in the agricultural workforce of Australia from our 2020 Trend Report. The contribution of women in agriculture has been historically ignored in Australia, even when at least…

Why Commercial Companies Avoid Using Recruitment Agencies for Employee Hiring – Cost Considerations

Recruitment agencies play a significant role in connecting job seekers with employers, providing a range of services, including candidate sourcing, screening, and selection. However, in our recent survey of Australian agribusinesses we were surprised to see that only about 20% of agribusinesses used a recruitment company to find potential candidates. This analysis aims to explore…